INDIO >> Flower crowns turn give way to cowboy hats. Roaming packs of 20-something music lovers turn into lawn chair-carrying families. People grooving thumping beats of electronic music morph into dozens of festivalgoers line dancing to favorite country songs.

THE DIFFERENCES

1. The stages and the music

For Coachella, the Empire Polo Club has six major stages, plus other musical areas, including the electronic dance music heavy DoLab and the enclosed Heineken House. The main stages and tents house everything from electronic music to folk to hip-hop to rock.

At Stagecoach, there are three major stages. The largest stage, the Mane Stage, is picked up and moved for Stagecoach to maximize every space on the field. Large screens are even brought in to give fans more access to top acts, such as The Band Perry and Carrie Underwood on Saturday and Luke Bryan on Sunday night.

The Mustang Stage, where the Mojave Tent was during Coachella, is where country legends, such as Marty Stuart and Billy Joe Shaver, perform as well as up-and-coming acts that blend rock and country, such as Tigerman WOAH and Susto.

The Palomino Tent, where thousands of sweaty electronic music lovers danced to top DJs amid the light and video show spectacle of the Sahara Tent at Coachella, is now where legends such as John Fogerty and Emmylou Harris play at Stagecoach.

Plus, what was the house music-heavy Yuma Tent at Coachella is now the Honky Tonk Dance Hall at Stagecoach, where line-dancing is not only encouraged, but is also taught.

2. Seating

Aside from music, the most striking difference between the two festivals is seating. Unlike Coachella, Stagecoach patrons, who range in age from infants to senior citizens, are allowed to bring in low-sitting chairs. The field in front of the Mane Stage is cordoned off into sections where people can bring their chairs, with walkways marked by fences to get across the field. Top-paying VIP pass holders may either have reserved seats with provided chairs in front of the Mane Stage or hang out in a standing-room only area closest to the stage.

Inside the tents, there are hay bales for those who didn’t lug chairs with them.

At Coachella, you’re either standing in front of a stage or pulling up a nice spot on the grass.

3. Attire

Coachella lights up fashion blogs with what celebrities and everyday festival goers are wearing to the event. There are countless flower crowns, gold glitter temporary tattoos and lots of flowing bohemian dresses.

At Stagecoach, a cowboy hat is practically required for entry. Boots are another must, but the newbies valuing fashion over practicality are often seen carrying new boots they haven’t yet broken in across the polo field by the end of the night.

Flannel shirts are another good option for Stagecoach.

And while at Coachella, you will see flags of all nations, Stagecoach has one winner — Old Glory; the American flag is on everything from sunglasses to socks to bandanas to boots to belt buckles. And even bikinis.

4. Food and beverage

Coachella has been upping its game in food, bringing in pop-ups of L.A. restaurants and even bringing in celebrity chefs for the Outstanding in the Field sit-down dinner in the rose garden.

Stagecoach is about meat, meat and more meat. One of the popular spots at the festival is the annual barbecue competitions.

Beveragewise, Coachella not only had a Craft Beer Barn, but added the rare Beer Bar. The big beer sponsor was Heineken, which brought its Heineken House and special DJs, including Diplo, with it.

At Stagecoach, Budweiser products are sold where the Heineken House stood. Now dubbed the Budweiser Country Club, it has a patio area with games such as corn hole set up for festivalgoers.

But the biggest difference is where the booze is. At Coachella, patrons had to drink in designated beer garden areas. At Stagecoach, drinking is allowed all over the field.

5. The art

The art of Coachella has become almost as anticipated as the music, with a number of large-scale installations.

Stagecoach doesn’t have as many large installations, but there are two giant boots flanking the Mane Stage to provide photo ops and plenty of Instagram-worthy smaller pieces around the grounds, even surrounded by frames with the Stagecoach logo.

6. Camping

Coachella’s tent camping is a city of cars and tents where there are activities galore, including yoga sessions, an arts-and-crafts tent, and even a post office.

At Stagecoach, it’s all RVs and the parties rage on all day, with beer bongs, corn hole games and kiddie pools dotting the RV compound.

7. For the kids

Stagecoach bills itself as a family-friendly event and there is a specific area, the Half-Pint Hootenanny, which has crafts, kid-friendly music, and a petting zoo with a miniature donkey named Chewbacca.

At Coachella, there’s no kid-designated area, but there are a handful of kids that come to the fest.

THE SIMILARITIES

1. Chris Stapleton

The Grammy-winning country star is the only artist to perform full sets at both Coachella and Stagecoach this year.

While he packed the smallest tent at Coachella — the Gobi, with an appreciative audience singing along — Stapleton commanded the Stagecoach festival with a Mane Stage slot on Saturday evening.

2. Guests

One of the hallmarks of Coachella is the major guest stars who show up for sets, including Dr. Dre, Rihanna and Kendrick Lamar.

But Stagecoach is getting into the guest game, too.

Sam Hunt brought out a few folks for his Friday night set, notably Coachella 2016 performer G-Eazy and rapper Snoop Dogg, the latter of whom showed up for Ice Cube’s Coachella set on Weekend One.

And Chris Young surprised the Stagecoach crowd with Cassadee Pope on Friday night to sing their hit duet.

3. Fringe

One fashion trend that made it to both Coachella and Stagecoach this year was fringe. Wind gusts both weekends made the fashion statement even more noticeable on the field.

4. Food

There are some Coachella holdovers at Stagecoach, and since they are farther away from the action, it means shorter lines. Among the surviving booths are Sumo Dog, Top Round Roast Beef, Eureka!, Afters Ice Cream, and of course, the beloved festival staple, Spice Pie pizza.

5. “Tower of 12 Stories”

The large white installation art piece by Jimenez Lai is the one big art holdover from Coachella. At night, the tower turns into a cartoonish kaleidoscope of neon.

Vanessa Franko is the Digital Director of Entertainment for the Southern California News Group. The lure of palm trees and covering pop culture brought her to The Press-Enterprise in Riverside in 2006. Vanessa has reported on everything from the Palm Springs International Film Festival to the MLB All-Star Game as a reporter, photographer, videographer and on-camera personality. She's won awards for her coverage of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and for crime reporting in her home state of Maryland. Vanessa studied multimedia storytelling as a Knight Digital Media Center fellow in Dec. 2011 and has taught college courses in digital journalism. She's seen shows at every major concert venue in Southern California, but most special was when Paul McCartney played the high-desert roadhouse Pappy & Harriet's in Pioneertown for a couple hundred fans in Oct. 2016. Her album collection numbers in the thousands (including a couple hundred on vinyl) and when she isn't hunting for records, she and her husband like to check out the best in Southern California craft beer and watch sports. She also had a cameo in the 1992 Atlanta Braves highlight film "Lightning Strikes Twice!"

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